


Turning Pages for New Worlds

by osmalic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Supernatural
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Post-War, Crossover, Established Relationship, Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt Sam Winchester, Ignores DH epilogue, M/M, Mystery, Suspense, Werewolf!Teddy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-27
Updated: 2007-12-26
Packaged: 2017-10-21 04:51:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/221126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/osmalic/pseuds/osmalic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's only so much Remus and Severus can hide from their son: his past, his magic, his heritage. Then two so-called rangers force them to accept that the world they're hiding from may be closer than they think. (Remus and Severus escape to America with Teddy--fast forward around ten years later.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dungeons_master](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=dungeons_master).



> For Snupin Santa 2007. Ignores Deathly Hallows epilogue as well as some choices of events in the DH book, obviously especially the part Remus and Severus died. Crossover with Supernatural, with some spoilers for episode 2x17 "Heart", and is set after the second season (post "All Hell Breaks Loose"), but with implications So Very Minimal, you might miss them. Although this is a crossover with the TV show Supernatural, the focus of this story is still Lupin and Snape.

Remus staggered into the open door and, for the first time in years, ignored the arms extended towards him as he tried to keep himself upright against the door frame.

"Come, Remus, no need for heroics," Severus started impatiently, but gave a small grunt when Remus let go and fell into his arms. Quickly, efficiently, the man ran his fingers through Remus' neck, over his back. "Are you hurt?"

"Close the door," Remus whispered against his shoulder, struggling. The words had barely left his lips when Severus kicked the door shut and tightened his hold around the exhausted man in his arms. "I think...Severus, we must..."

"Shush." Severus' voice was sharp but soothing, as he finished his task of mapping the naked skin beneath him for new injuries. Remus shivered, closing his eyes, but more from exhaustion than of comfort. "You'll wake Theodore. Are you hurt?" His arms were already leaving, reaching for the usual small basin holding the warm water that sat, always ready, on the floor. He glared at Remus' fingers, wrapped around his wrist to stop him. "What?" He turned angrily to Remus, faltered. "...What?"

Remus stared into his eyes and swallowed. Hard. "Severus." His voice was hoarse. "Severus. I think Moony was seen."


	2. Part 1

It wasn't the end of the world but it could be the end of _this_ world, Remus thought with a pang. He tried not to think of its implications, but he could not help staring at Severus' form by the sink. Severus had his sleeves pushed up to the elbows as he stacked the dirty dishes and prepared Remus' tea, as he had done every month for the past eight years.

Occasionally, he could see how Severus would stop and stare out the window right above their sink, where the view was of their backyard that led to a solitary trail towards the woods. The sun was already peaking through the grayish clouds of the Laramie, Wyoming sky. Severus leaned towards the window, and Remus watched with some trepidation, wondering if Severus was remembering old days in an old world, where there had never been this kind of contentment.

On the table, Teddy was reading a book, legs swaying while he occasionally paused to crunch his Coco Puffs. "Sev'rus," he finally said, not even looking up, "when d'you think cars would start flying?"

Severus paused, meeting Remus' eyes warily before they glanced sharply at their son. "Why do you ask?"

"Well." Teddy frowned, expression made strange by his intense concentration. "I was watching this movie last night..."

"Movie," Severus echoed, sounding stunned.

"And who, may I ask, told you to watch a movie during a school night?" Remus said sternly.

Suddenly, Teddy became _very_ interested in his untied sneakers as he slid off the chair. "Er. I was...doing homework." In a flash, he was already dashing towards the stairs. "I'll be ready in a few minutes, 'kay?"

For a moment, the only sound was of a dishes being rinsed and Teddy storming towards his room to get his things. Remus sipped his tea. "That was...surreal," he admitted finally.

"Your son is becoming more and more like you," Severus said. He had already turned his back to Remus.

Remus stared at him and wondered if this sudden barrage of wistfulness he'd always associated with Severus will ever go away. "That can't be a good sign," he said lightly, "if it's this early in the morning." He took another sip, wondered how to breach the subject about the night before. In this new life, talking about the past—now dead and buried—felt surreal. "Severus—"

"Did the potion work?" Severus interrupted.

Remus paused, squinting at his husband's figure as he turned to him. "Of course it did," he replied, remembering the previous night with clear lucidity. "Why wouldn't it?"

Severus didn't answer quickly, but Remus could see how he was likely going to be writing it down in his papers of observation, just in case. _Dosage of Wolfsbane potion adequacy, confirmed by R._ "Just precautions."

Upstairs, there was a comforting thump and a muffled yell of _"Sorry!"_ to assure them that Teddy was still up and about, getting ready for school. Severus went on, "You said you were seen, last night."

Remus nodded, grimacing even as he took another sip. "Did you know," he said suddenly, "that the forest has grown?"

The statement made Severus pause, yet it was only a heartbeat later that he asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's grown larger," Remus said quietly. "Thicker. Since last month."

Severus frowned. "And last month, did it seem any different?"

"No." Remus turned thoughtful as he compared the change with his senses. "The forest...well, it's protected woodland so there'll always be secondary growth, but the change is unnatural. It threw me off for a while, and when I was there, I picked up scents that were never there before."

"It's a forest, Remus," Severus put in. "Where Potter—" There was still some contempt when he said the name. "—put up a safe perimeter."

Looking down at his cup, Remus nodded. "He did, but that was years ago..." He let his voice trail off as he glanced at Severus anxiously. "Harry might have some idea..."

"No," Severus interrupted, scowling. His movements became awkward, jerky, as he folded the newspaper next to Remus' stool. "We aren't invalids, and while we are living as...as Muggles, we can still sense such things. An investigation of our own will likely suffice for now."

"Right." Remus still felt uncomfortable, but he finally said, "The perimeter seemed stable; I recognized the boundaries immediately but...someone must've gotten in."

"It's impossible," Severus said flatly. "The only way in is through our backyard—the one you take—and then only by someone with magical abilities."

Their eyes met across the kitchen and just as quickly, they looked away. Magic was a word that was now barely spoken in the house.

From upstairs, Remus could hear Teddy already storming down. He cleared his throat; they had to be quick. "It could be other wolves or bears."

"How many?"

"Two. Maybe three." Remus sighed. His senses, always seemingly strong, had been muddled by the joy of the outdoors, overpowering his awareness the night before. "I can't be sure."

"Animals?" Severus asked.

Remus shook his head. "Too big and noticeable. The pattern of travel seems...sure, somehow, with consciousness." Then he sighed. "But we just lost our chance, didn't we? Until next month, at least."

"We'll have to check each perimeter," Severus replied, adding, "Later," just as Teddy thundered down the stairs.

Remus stood and cleared the counter, placing the dirty cups on the sink while Severus checked the plugs. Then, impulsively, Remus grabbed Severus' wrist and pulled him closer, kissing his cheek.

"What was that for?" Severus grunted, sounding more surprised than irritated.

His husband only grinned. "I didn't kiss you good morning."

 _"Dad,"_ Teddy bellowed from the kitchen doorway, "my red socks are missing!"

"Which one?" Remus responded without turning to the boy. "The one with the Santa patch?" He turned just in time to see Teddy's face scrunch into a horrified grimace.

"Not _that_ one! Those're my old kids' socks. I can't find my _red socks!"_

Severus had already turned away, returning to the task of stacking the newly-washed dishes on the rack. Remus went to their son, trying not to wince as he knelt, soothing his son and telling him that white socks would do for now because they would be late. Teddy glowered, but turned to Severus with hopeful eyes.

Remus tried not to let the lump in his throat grow as he watched how Severus purposefully ignore the glance, but said roughly, "Got your homework with you, then?"

"Yes, sir, I do," Teddy said enthusiastically, smile shining enough at being acknowledged. "Are you gonna pick me up later from the bus stop, Sev'rus?"

"No, Remus will do that," Severus replied, still not looking at him. Remus gritted his teeth and stood, patting Teddy's back, but Severus went on stiffly, "I don't drive."

"Yeah," Teddy said quietly, looking down at his untied sneakers.

Remus took their coat from the chair, considering Teddy's jacket. It looked like it was getting too small for their son, and it filled him with pleasure to think that he could buy a coat for him soon. "Need help putting on your coat, son?" he asked teasingly.

Teddy shook his head emphatically. _"Dad,_ I'm _nine,_ not five _._ "

Severus snorted and knelt beside Teddy, tugging the laces of his sneakers. "Nine years old and still refuses to tie his own shoes," he said wryly. "Next, you'll be requiring Velcros."

"I like shoelaces," Teddy protested, small fingers threading through Severus' dark hair as the man made a careful show of tying the laces together. Remus could see how thrilled their son was at being the center of Severus' attention, and it made Remus' throat tighten even more Severus seemed to callously disregard it.

"All done," Severus said when he finished with one shoe. "Now you do the other shoe." He stood quickly, but with enough time for Teddy to regretfully pull his fingers away to bend down and finish tying the other shoe. Turning to Remus, Severus said quietly, "Be careful."

If there was anything that could melt his heart even after eight years of being together, it was a sentiment as heartfelt as that the morning after a full moon. Remus kissed his cheek again. "We will," he said, "I'll be back soon." He grabbed his own coat and herded Teddy out the door where the Ford truck was parked at the front of their porch.

"Are you positive you don't want me to drive you to school?" Remus asked, catching sight of his son's eyes at the rearview mirror. "We're in the truck already, anyway."

Teddy shook his head. "Naw, Paul'n me will be trading cards later while in the bus." He was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "Dad, does Severus hate me?"

Startled, Remus glanced up at the mirror once more, seeing the way Teddy was frowning as he looked out the window. "Why would you think that?"

"He doesn't talk to me much," the boy said a bit mournfully. "Except when he's angry or when he wants me to do my homework. He wasn't like that before...he used to be there when I drew pictures. Is he mad that I'm spending more time with my Chemistry set?" Voice turning anxious, he went on, "I thought he'd like it if I made something for him, but I haven't found out about it yet."

Remus gave a smile. "Trust me, your father is _thrilled_ that you're playing with the set he bought...I mean, Santa gave you last year." And there was that years-old dilemma once more: how could he explain to the boy that Severus was beyond thrilled, he was _proud?_ They couldn't exactly tell him about the cellar beneath the storeroom, where their cauldrons, special potions, and herbs were stored, not until he was the right age. "Just...Teddy, your father's been a bit busy lately. You know how it is in the University, when school's starting..."

"But you're a professor there too," Teddy pointed out. _"You're_ not too busy to play catch with me."

"Yes, I'm not," Remus replied softly. Too soon, they were already parking next to a lonely stop sign where other children were gathered. As soon as the truck rolled to a stop, he turned to the backseat to regard Teddy seriously. "Teddy, believe me, your father loves you very much and will do everything to keep you protected. I'll talk to him—"

"No, don't do that!" Teddy cried out, alarmed. "He'll think I'm a pest—"

"Nonsense," Remus sharply interrupted, then reached out to ruffle his son's hair. "He'll never think that. No one thinks that. Just...we'll talk about it later." He looked into his son's eyes, trying to convey his words with just a look. "Okay? We'll speak about it later."

"Okay." Teddy's voice sounded unsure.

"Right." Remus helped him unbuckle the seatbelt. "You want me to go with you to the bus stop?"

Rolling his eyes, Teddy pushed the door open. "No, thanks, Dad. Everyone thinks you and Father are strange already, with the funny way you speak. Hey, Dad, Carla says you're, like, from Texas because you speak funny and she knows because she's been there and she likes listening to people from Texas. Are you from Texas?"

Remus thought his expression must be a cross of amusement and indignation. "Not even close," he murmured, then pointed. "Right, there's the bus. I'll pick you up later."

"'Kay." Teddy lurched forward, wrapping awkwardly short arms around Remus' head and pressing a kiss on his cheek. "See you later!" he shouted, jumping out and rushing to the group of children already boarding the yellow ride.

Remus watched for a moment, feeling alone in that stretch of road as he watched the bus take his son to school.

* * *

He knew he had to speak to Severus quickly about so many things: the possibility of security breach, concerns about telling Teddy about the truth of his past, and more importantly, Teddy's feelings about Severus. Remus didn't miss that Teddy had earlier called Severus "Father", something that Severus used to allow when they first got together but had increasingly disallowed.

He could remember when Teddy had been a baby, held in the arms of his wife, when his wisps of hair were still brown but increasingly became turquoise blue. Severus' pained look whenever he saw the changing colors used to worry Remus, but on Teddy's second birthday, his hair had turned into a mousy brown and, over the past few years, had remained that way. A quick research had told them that Teddy was likely tuning to the elements of their new environment and was still adapting, and it terrified Remus to think that Teddy might suddenly find his ability in the middle of an important event and be traumatized. He knew Severus worried about it, too.

But it was mostly for Teddy that they did this: hid and tried to protect him from his heritage. Remus thought back to the year after the war, remembered how Andromeda had fought fiercely and tearfully for the right to raise her child away from a war veteran, how Severus had narrowly escaped Azkaban through Harry's intervention, and mostly how they danced around each other at first, bonding only through caring for Teddy. Pictures of his late wife, of Nymphadora, were placed around the house, but they were mostly melancholy pictures where her hair was brown and her smile was dim, and they never moved. It made Remus a bit sad, forcing their child to remember his mother as a sad woman, never knowing her gay nature.

As he neared their house, Remus sighed and thought he should get things in order. They would get their wands, check the barriers and do some scans. Low-grade magic will have to be used so as not to raise suspicion.

Most of all, he would have to make some calls to Harry, perhaps behind Severus' back, to talk about the nature of the Fidelius Charm and its limits.

But the strange black car parked in front of their house changed all his plans.

* * *

"Severus?" he called out as hurried into the house, pulling out his coat and hanging it in the closet next to the door.

Severus looked up, scowling, and Remus faced the two men standing before him and staring at him curiously. Both were wearing snug but worn jackets and jeans. "My partner. Husband," Severus said jerkily, as he always did whenever Remus had to be introduced. "Remus, these are Samuel and Dean Winchester." He pointed to the taller man, then to the shorter one to indicate their names.

"Call me Sam," the taller man insisted, smiling uncomfortably.

"They're apparently rangers," Severus said, ignoring him.

"Sorry to bother you so early in the morning, sir," the shorter man, Dean Winchester, said. "I was just telling your husband that we're looking into some reports about dangerous animal sightings in the area."

"Right," Remus said faintly. "Sorry, I just took our son to the bus stop. Won't you sit down?" He indicated to the chairs, glaring at Severus when the two promptly sat.

Severus rolled his eyes in reply; it was obvious he had intended to be a rude host, but it was moot now that Remus was there. "Gentlemen, we've taken your precautions to heart, and we have emergency phone numbers..."

"We really can't be too sure, sir," Sam Winchester said. His voice was gentler than the other, and Remus squinted, seeing the genetic similarities. They were probably brothers, which would explain the same last name. "And it's simply a follow-up to some reports."

"Have you seen any large animals lately in this area?" Dean put in eagerly, leaning forward to listen to their answer.

Remus and Severus exchanged glances, consulting each other before turning back. "Never," Remus said truthfully. It was because of the preventive charms they put on a certain area when they moved in.

The two men nodded. "But you know they're there, right?" Dean persisted. "I mean, game's always been available in these parts."

"Laramie is populated," Severus said stiffly. "The habitats of larger animals are still around an hour away from this town."

"We can never know," Sam said. "Look, if you haven't seen any large animals, at least, is there anything strange about the woods? It stretches from your backyard, doesn't it?"

Again, Remus and Severus exchanged glances, suspicious. There was no ready answer because they still haven't checked the possible charm breach, but it was safer to answer as truthfully as possible, if they had any hopes to get away from suspicion. "Nothing too suspicious," Remus replied lightly, thinking fast. "Are you talking about bears?"

"We're talking about wolves," Dean put in flatly, watching them closely.

This time, Remus knew that he had to avoid Severus's gaze, and opened his mouth to reply.

Severus beat him to it. "Wolves are found in packs at the deeper mountain area. They can't be found here."

"Some wolves are loners," Dean countered. "And some of them wander off from their natural territory."

"Clearly, you have no education about the lupus species," Severus sneered, but Remus laid a hand on his arm.

"Severus," Remus told him warningly before turning to the other two men. "I'm sorry, but we can't be of help as of now. We hardly let Teddy out of our sight when he's playing at the backyard, and we've put fences around a certain perimeter, just as the rangers told us." He didn't add that Harry, Hermione, and Ron had worked together to build the special fence, which could curl away and out to let Moony run through a warded area. "We'll be happy to report anything suspicious, though."

"Thank you," Sam put in before Dean had the chance to reply. "We appreciate it. But do you think we can take a look at the backyard and the fence? Just in case?"

Remus nodded and he ignored the way Severus scowled at him. "Follow me, gentlemen," he said.

Severus stood. "I'll be in the study room to finish some grading," he told Remus. "I'll follow you later."

"Right." Remus led the two gentlemen to the backyard where Dean promptly pulled out a strange-looking device that gave out a cackling sound.

"Your house is nice," Sam admitted as they stepped out of the door, avoiding some of Teddy's toys. "You've been here some years already?"

"Nine," Remus replied, smiling at the memory. "We moved here when Teddy was a one-year old."

"From England," Sam said, nodding.

Remus gave him a glance. "I'll not ask how you know," he told him, "when it's obvious our accents are a dead giveaway."

"Any particular reason?"

This time, Remus watched closely as Dean bent over the fence, probably to check if there were scratch marks. "Not anything in particular," he replied evenly, keeping his face away. It still scared him, how the war can be reflected in his eyes without anyone knowing, and it might give them away to people and endanger them. The past was still a dangerous place to tread. "Severus and I were offered teaching positions in U-Dub. We couldn't refuse."

"Ah." Sam paused, then thoughtfully said, "You know, I—"

"Sam," Dean Winchester interrupted sharply. Remus neared them, hearing a loud pounding in his ears as he saw where the man was pointing to his brother. Large claw marks on the wood, where Moony occasionally sharpened his claws and bit whenever he and Severus played.

Sam's eyes were turned to Remus. "You have a dog, Mr. Lupin?"

"No." Remus cleared his throat. "No dog." He wanted to say that he hadn't noticed those marks before, to say something about how he would be protecting Teddy from any large animals, but the thought of those strange beings within their territory came into his mind, making him keep his mouth shut.

Sam and Dean were staring at him before Dean said, "Yeah, we'll take pictures of this." He took out a camera from his jacket and began to snap pictures, using his flashlight as a scale.

"Mr. Lupin, are you sure you haven't seen anything suspicious?" Sam asked urgently. "Anything...strange? Not necessarily anything you've ever encountered before?"

"He hasn't," a voice from behind said, and the three jumped to see Severus right behind Sam, his arms crossed and his face scowling. "Neither have I. We'd appreciate it if you leave now while we prepare for work."

The two rangers exchanged glances before nodding in acquiesce. "We'll probably be back this afternoon," Sam said quietly. "We'll let ourselves out."

"No," Severus said, following them. "We'll see you out." There was a barely restrained anger in the way he walked, and the silence could be heard in their footsteps until he closed the door.

From the open window, Remus could hear Dean loudly saying, "Our real names?It has our _real names?_ Sam!", and he could see how Sam flinched, even with their backs turned.

He glanced at Severus, who was also watching them behind the curtains. "What was that about?"

"A security measure," Severus said grimly, "one that Weasley and I put when we moved in. Identification cards will immediately reveal the name they closely associate with if they are false. Safe to say that they're not rangers."

"The names seem familiar," Remus mused quietly, but when no information was forthcoming, he shook his head. "What do you think?"

"You mentioned the possibility of two presences last night," Severus replied, still watching as the black car, a Chevrolet Impala, finally rumbled out of their driveway. "If there have been reports of large animals within the area, we can assume that something has breached the security we've set up."

Remus fell silent before saying, "Severus. You think it was me—?"

"You said the potion worked fine," his husband interrupted, giving him a brief glance before turning away. "I believe you." And, quieter, as if he was saying it to himself, he added, "I believe in myself, in what I make."

He could feel his knees shake in relief at that admission; Remus didn't realize how much he had needed that. He nodded. "Alright. Alright, let's scan the perimeter." He was on his way to the study when Severus touched his arm, pressed the familiar wood in his fingers.

For one long moment, they stared at the wands in their hands, then at each other. There was a fierceness in Severus' eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time, and Remus wondered if it was mirrored in his own.

"Alright," he repeated, drunk in the possibility of using even the smallest of spells again, "alright. Let's go."

They went to the backyard.

* * *

Trekking the forest wasn't easy. It wasn't anything like the ancient woods of the Forbidden Forest at the back of Hogwarts, but Harry and Hermione had been delighted at the similarities, enough that they almost went overboard with the enchantment spells they placed on the area. Ron, who had been traumatized by the Forbidden Forest during his childhood, had finally yelled at them enough that they stopped, but the result was exquisitely done. Although thin trees were still there to indicate the secondary growth, some of the trees were already wider and unusual in their shape.

Remus remembered the night before, and he touched the trees, frowning. He could remember that particular birch tree and how its size had remained constant even after so many years. He heard Severus near and did not turn around.

"This tree's different," he said out-loud. "I noticed it. Last night."

"How?" It wasn't surprising that Severus still had his wand raised, as if he was still expecting Death Eaters to jump out of the woods.

Remus thought it was both sad and relieving. "It's a modified tree, something that Harry and Hermione changed as a marker. The spell they put was designed to have it remain constant, unchanging unless another magic overrides it." He touched the trunk, felt the solid bark under his fingertips. "It grew wider since last month."

"Is it the only one?" Severus asked. He, too, placed a hand over the tree as if to feel the change.

Shaking his head, Remus looked around, could see the subtle differences in the growth of shrubbery and grass. "It's not only the trees, Severus. It's as if...the magic grew here somehow, become more powerful."

Severus pursed his lips, murmuring a Latin spell under his breath for a simple inspection. When he was satisfied, he turned again to Remus. "Magic needn't necessarily have grown wild."

"It's the usual occurrence in an abandoned place."

"This isn't abandoned."

"It is, when we're not using it once a month," Remus admitted. Suddenly, this area felt like a stranger to him in human form. Severus would venture out here sometimes, but only to gather some wild roots that he would need. However, the only Potion he constantly brewed now was Wolfsbane, and because some ingredients were not available locally, they had to have them delivered. Teddy usually only went to the area if he was helping Severus pick some plants. Meanwhile, Remus only circled the area a few times, and most of them during the full moon.

Severus was glancing at every tree. "Remus," he said slowly, "there are some marks here." He turned to his partner. "And some of them aren't yours."

"What?" Remus hurried to his side, frowning. He could recognize his own scratch patterns—there was always a weaker embedding of one of his finger because of the damage he sustained during the war. He could clearly see the old and new marks he had made on the trees.

But closer inspection told him Severus was right. A few notches below, there were freshly-made marks, some of them a few days old.

A cold feeling overcame Remus and he muttered, "Impossible. These are a few days old, and I'm only a...only a werewolf during the height of the full moon."

"I know," Severus replied harshly, tracing a hand, then a wand over the marks to imprint. "But they look a bit similar..."

"Do you think there's another werewolf around?"

"Or an animal." Looking around, Severus found another claw mark and compared them. "They match, and still not yours. They're smaller, but sharper." He met Remus' gaze.

Remus swallowed. "Perhaps...we should take Teddy somewhere safe in the meantime."

He could see how Severus struggled, but finally said, "No, we'll stay here for now. We're not even sure if this is dangerous—"

"Goddammit, Severus, he's your son!" Remus shouted. "We have to protect him!"

"And we shan't coddle him as you've effectively done over the years," Severus sneered. "Did you think I haven't noticed that you mummy your way through his heart?"

"It's because he's never had a mother," Remus said coldly, "and he barely has a father, thanks to you."

"He has enough of a father in you," Severus told him, turning away.

Remus grabbed his arm. "Severus, are you listening to yourself? You act as if Teddy isn't your son."

"He _isn't!"_ Severus burst out, pulling away angrily. "He's not, he's your son and he's not mine—"

A cold feeling washed over Remus and he gaped at his husband as he walked away to inspect a new tree, apparently following the trail of claw marks. "Is that what it is?" he asked incredulously. "Do you...you can't love him because he's also Nymphadora's child?"

He tried not to be affected at the way Severus flinched when the name was mentioned. "It's true, isn't it?" he said furiously, not turning to Remus. "The child has her abilities and will come to inherit them one day; it's only a matter of time. When the time comes, he'll want to know about his legacy, and your past—"

"It's your past too, Severus," Remus said, suddenly aware how quiet the woods was. "Why would you distance yourself from it? Whatever we tell Teddy, we tell it to him as a part of _'us',_ not just 'you' and 'me'." Then, with the way Severus refused to meet his gaze, something clicked. "Wait, do you..."

"Hey!" came a cheerful interruption. "Fancy meeting you here."

Instinctively, Remus and Severus whirled to the source of the voice, their wands raised in battle stance.

Dean Winchester cocked his shotgun, then forced a laugh from his throat. "Uh, can you put them down? I seriously don't want to get poked to death."

"This is private property," Severus barked out. "How did you get in here?"

"Walking," Dean retorted, "because the other side doesn't have a fence, if you must know."

Sam Winchester appeared from behind, carrying a duffel bag but still managing to be silent. He glanced at his brother, then to Severus and Remus. "Did he muck up again?"

"Hey!" Dean protested.

"How. Did. You. Get. Here," Severus grated out, not lowering his wand.

"Severus," Remus said softly, glancing at him at the corner of his eyes. "Put the w...put that down. We can talk."

Sam watched the exchange curiously, a frown alighted on his face. He neared them cautiously, put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We apologize," he said contritely, giving Dean a slight shake. "We wanted to check the area, see if we can find something new."

"We were concerned," Remus acknowledged, holding out a hand to Severus and keeping his eyes trained to the two. "We wanted to check if the area was safe, too."

"Listen," Dean interrupted, "you let us handle that. It's our _job."_

"It's our property," Severus argued.

"We're experienced," Dean snapped back.

"You're _not_ rangers," Severus replied coldly.

Dean stiffened and beside him, Sam's face fell as if he was internally groaning. "What makes you say that?" the shorter man growled.

"Your card—"

"Your duffel bag," Remus quickly put in. "What's inside?"

Sam looked guarded; gone was the expressive face he had shown them, replaced by something colder. Remus straightened. The two were promising to be professionals. "Things for hunting," he answered, and it was obvious he was at least being truthful about _that._

"Put it down and open it," Remus ordered.

Dean gave a bark of laughter. "Now, listen, _I'm_ the one with a shotgun here," he put in.

"Dean," Sam iterated sharply, then sighed. "Look, we can explain."

"Do it. And put down the gun."

"Or what?" Dean asked incredulously. "You'll poke my eye out with that twig?" Then, he jumped and yelped, "Fucking _shit,_ what the hell was that?!" He rubbed his thigh where a blue light just zapped him.

Severus had the indecency to look smug as he trained his wand towards Sam's frozen form. The wooden end emitted some smoke from not being used for years, but Remus was sure it would still comply with its master. _"That_ was a threat," Severus said coldly. "Now, Mr. and Mr. Winchester, will you comply my husband's demand, or do I need to prove my ability again?"

Remus held his breath as the brothers risked exchanging glances, before Sam slowly dumped the bag on the ground with a thick _thump_ and a rustle of leaves.

They refused to glance into the bag until Dean released the gun and raised his hands above his head, standing next to his brother a few feet away. But when they finally peered inside, Severus' mouth became a thin line and Remus, too, trained his wand at the two younger men.

"We can explain," Sam began again, but Dean interrupted them.

"Those are wands, aren't they?" His voice was cold and calculating despite the smile on his face,

"Remus," Severus said. He had knelt beside the bag and was carefully pushing through the materials with his free hand. He brought something to Remus' eye level, making Remus hold his breath.

"Those are wands, aren't they?" Dean insisted.

"And _that's_ a silver knife," Remus replied, voice trembling. He was very glad Severus was the one who went through the things. "Can you check the rifle?"

There was a pause as Severus put down the knife to grab the rifle, working to remove the safety and looking inside before turning to Remus with a curt nod. "Silver bullets."

"Good lord," Remus breathed.

"Gentlemen," Severus said in a voice Remus had not heard since the end of the Voldemort War, "it seems we have reason to believe you _rangers_ are looking for a mythical beast."

"How is it any stranger than two British warlocks in Laramie, Wyoming?" Dean Winchester countered.

And there really wasn't an answer to that.


	3. Part 2

The silence stretched for almost a minute.

Thinking fast, Remus finally turned to Severus. "They're Hunters, Severus," he said quietly.

"Then you've heard of us," Sam put in eagerly. "You know our jobs?"

"We've heard of Hunters, yes," Severus growled. His wand did not even waver. "And we heard that they are morally corrupt. Not to mention legally questionable."

"Hey!" Dean protested. "We know all about Wizards and Witches too. You watch out for your own kind, we do the same thing for us Hunters."

"You're looking for it too, then?" Sam interrupted enthusiastically, even though there was still the strange glint in his eye. "The werewolf?"

Severus turned his head marginally. "How did you get in here?"

Sam looked at him in confusion.

"What do you _mean,_ how did we get here?" Dean said impatiently. His raised arms seemed to be twitching, as if looking for action. "We walked, of course. Just because you have a fence at your backyard doesn't mean there's no other way to get here from the side of the road."

Remus turned to Severus, saw that the other man's jaw was clenched tightly. He reached out a hand. "Severus, perhaps we should—"

"No," Severus said forcefully. "This is our home, and it's our responsibility to ensure Theodore's safety."

It felt like something was lifted from Remus' shoulders at the mention of Teddy's name, and with a jolt, he realized that Severus was apparently also foremost considering Teddy's safety. He gripped his wand and stepped closer. "They have no weapons," he said softly, "and we have our wands. We have the advantage. Can we not listen?" And even softer, he said, "I understand, about Teddy. You're right. But maybe there's another way."

For a moment, it seemed like Severus would not listen, but then he lowered his wand and jerked his head again. Sam and Dean gave visible sighs of relief. "You say that you walked here," Severus began.

"Yeah," Dean said, already putting his hands to his side, eyes straying to the duffel bag. "From there..." He pointed to the general direction of the road. "It took us an hour, but we got here."

"Did you feel any fluctuation?" Remus asked.

Sam frowned. "I don't know, were we supposed to?"

Again, Severus and Remus exchanged glances.

"Hey, now," Dean protested angrily, "if we're answering questions, then you have to answer some of ours. _Were_ we supposed to feel a fluctuation? And what does it mean, if we did? Or didn't?"

"It means our wards aren't working," Severus replied in a clipped tone. "Something must have set it off."

"It depends on what you're warding against," Sam said thoughtfully. "Or what types you used. Which religion do you use?"

"We're wizards," Severus said indignantly. "We make our own wards."

"Oh." Sam and Dean blinked, then exchanged glances. "What do you mean," Dean hedged, "that you make your own? Isn't it the same?"

"The difference between occult wards and Wizarding wards," Remus hastily explained, "is that the occult usually borrows from other knowledge to make particular spells suit for them. Because for Wizards, magic is innate and practiced, theory is applied and used for discovery of universal laws that will apply, therefore you're also likely making your own, or using something that's been tried and tested over the years."

"So you're saying you managed to combine several wards?" Dean asked. "To keep people out? What is this, some kind of fucked up private property?"

"It is," Severus put in. "And you just mangled our protection."

"The question is," Sam interrupted, "is if these wards are to keep other things away, or to keep something in."

"What do you mean?" Remus hedged, although he already knew where this was going.

Sam met his eyes, then gestured at Dean, who was now moving towards the trees and shrubs, looking for tracks. "We were here last night."

Remus paused, trying to keep the tremor from his voice when he choked out, "You were...here..."

"It was an accident," Dean called out from his inspection. "You know, we were passing by, taking a piss in the woods—with protection, of course—but we saw the scratch marks." He turned to them, and even from the distance, the glitter in his eyes was unmistakable. "Werewolf. We caught tufts of fur. We weren't sure at first, but then we saw claw marks at a certain height, made at a certain angle."

"It was done by something bipedal," Sam explained. "By a bear or something equal."

"A werewolf isn't necessarily bipedal," Remus protested.

"You think?" Dean said, voice surprised. "I would've thought you two would know a lot about them."

Remus bit his lip and refused to take the bait.

"Listen, some lore say that werewolves are bipedal, some actually _become_ wolves," Sam put in, giving a warning glance at his brother. "But the ones we've encountered during our years of hunting...well, we assumed that most everything here are bipedal."

"Until last night," Dean put in.

"We saw the claw marks, the hair," Sam said hurriedly. "We knew it was a werewolf, and there was a full moon yesterday, so we stood guard. There wasn't any fluctuation, but we managed to get deep into the woods when we followed the claw marks." He paused. "And here we are."

"That's impossible," Severus said flatly. "You say that you found scratch marks when you stopped at the side of the road?"

"Our protection wards don't extend that far," Remus concluded, frowning.

Severus turned to him. "Remus, did you...?"

"No!" Remus replied sharply, breathing hard. He tried to recall everything he could from the night before, could remember how he transformed at the backyard, recalled how the fence had curled away to let his large frame bound out. He was...he wasn't walking on two paws, he could remember. But did he get to the side of the road? Surely not, he still had his own mind...didn't he? He shook his head. "Severus...I don't know."

"So we're correct," Dean said carefully. "One of you is a Changeling, or a Shapeshifter. The wolf we saw the night before."

Severus gave them a sharp glance, a sneer curling over his lips. "You Hunters must be very bad at your job," he scoffed, "if you can't even recognize a werewolf."

There was a sharp intake of breath as Dean and Sam stared at him, then at Remus, then back again.

"What do you mean?" Sam said sharply.

"We've encountered several werewolves before," Dean protested. "I've hunted those things, I'm _aware_ of how they look like. Dammit, we've talked to other Hunters and we _know_ what they look like. We even have literatures. Werewolves are bipedal unless they're threatened, running. The marks on those trees can only be made if the werewolf is walking bipedal, but they shift in some trees, become lower, indicating faster tracks."

Sam seemed to be gulping and he kept looking at Dean. "Dean, maybe we got some things wrong—"

"How can we be wrong?" Dean snapped back. "You've seen it yourself, Sam! We've hunted them all our lives! We've been up-close and personal with them. We've tried reasoning with them, for Christ's sake." Then he said so sharply, "And Madison!" that Sam flinched and looked away; Dean looked contrite for a moment before his expression hardened as he turned to Severus. "So don't you think we don't know what we're doing!"

"We're not thinking that," Remus put in, feeling as if there was something that the two weren't talking about. "Believe me, please, we're not disregarding your knowledge, only..." He gulped, then said, "The one you saw the night before, the one Shapeshifter...that was a werewolf. That was...that was me."

A snapping sound indicated Dean's mouth closing, and it was comical to see alongside Sam's jaw dropping.

"Well..." Sam sputtered. He looked at Dean for help, only his brother seemed to be staring resolutely at a bark of a tree, his jaw twitching. "Well...I don't..." He stopped again.

"We know what we saw," Dean said, voice low.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Of course you do, and you saw my husband. Remus."

Then Sam gave a slightly hysterical laugh. "Your name! _Remus Lupin!"_

Remus gave a slight smile. "I've had that reaction a lot of times in the past," he murmured. "Believe me, I spent years wondering if it was some kind of omen."

"The Shapeshifter that we saw last night was tame," Dean said stubbornly. "We know, because we observed it for some time."

"How did you even know it was a Shapeshifter?" Severus asked.

"It's not a _normal_ wolf," Dean insisted, but his face looked betrayed. "And its eyes...they were human...human eyes..." He stopped, sounding angry and embarrassed for giving such unreliable information, but he stuck his hands in his pocket and looked away, clenching his jaw.

Remus breathed and felt like laughing. "Yes, the side-effect of a potion I'm taking."

"Potion?" Sam and Dean looked surprised.

For the first time, Remus and Severus' eyes met, and there was no trace of suspicion, only the relief that they could, finally, talk about magic, about their past. Still, they had not survived to become less wary despite the measure of safety that they received from the two.

"There's a certain potion," Remus hedged, "that has helped werewolves for more than a decade now. It...grants a kind of consciousness to the beast."

There was a sharp hitch in Dean's breath, but Sam's form suddenly lunged towards Remus, stopping only when Severus trained his wand again at the younger man. "What is it?" Sam blurted out frantically. "What do you mean?"

"He means what he said," Severus replied sharply, gesturing with his wand. "Get away from him, slowly."

"No way!" Dean snarled, grabbing his brother and hauling him towards him, making him stand behind him as if he needed to be protected. "There's no such thing!"

"You'll be surprised at Wizards can do," Severus replied coolly.

"I want—" Sam started.

"Sam, _shut up._ It's not real, they're lying!" Dean shouted, not turning to his brother.

Sam's hands gripped the shoulders of Dean's jacket frantically. "If they _do,_ can't you see? A lot of people could be saved, _she_ could've been saved!"

"It's impossible," Dean insisted.

"It's true," Remus interrupted, hating himself for causing an obvious rift between them. The years of loneliness, of discrimination, pressed against him, making him continue mournfully, "It's called the Wolfsbane Potion, produced during the mid 1980's, now government-issued in the United Kingdom—"

 _"Shut up!"_ Dean roared.

Remus' mouth quickly snapped shut and a tug at his arm showed that Severus had bound at his side, still training a wand at them.

Yet Sam ignored his brother, continued to stare at Remus with a sad but hopeful look. "A lot of people would kill for that potion," he said, pained. "People would—"

Dean interrupted, "Sam, _Sammy."_ His voice was shaking and it was his turn to grab his brother's waist, clenching his fist on the jacket as if to keep Sam grounded. "Let's just...get out of here. We have to come back tonight, to look for this thing...Sammy, please..."

"We're sorry," Remus forced himself to say, but he was unsure what he was apologizing for. He only knew that there was a pain in both their eyes that he would probably never understand. "I didn't..."

"No, shut up," Dean barked again, glaring at him, then at Severus. "You wonder why there's discrimination against Wizards and Hunters? It's because Wizards never share their secrets to people who might need them. You build your own fucking network, your own fucking _town_ in the middle of everything and watch, just _watch_ and never do nothing. At least we know when something's wrong and we fucking _do_ something about it. And you know what? We talk to people without magical abilities too. We _talk_ to them and sometimes they don't believe us but sometimes they _do._ And who cares if we're fucked up in their eyes, because at least we're doing something that's _right_ and _something we believe in_ instead of just fucking _hiding in plain sight."_

For a moment, the only sound surrounding them was the strangely eerie forest sounds and Dean's harsh breathing, until Sam uttered, "Dean."

"Leave it, Sam." He pulled his hand from Sam's jacket away, grabbing his duffel bag. "Let's go. We'll come back here tonight."

Sam glanced at them, then to Dean, shuffling his feet.

Remus turned to Severus but he saw that his husband was staring at Dean with hard eyes. Just when Remus was about to say something, Severus stepped forward awkwardly. "Wait." His voice was a sharp shot in the woods.

Dean paused in his steps but did not look back.

Remus held his breath, afraid that anything he might say now would ruin the moment, but he felt like he knew what to expect.

"Wait," Severus said again. His face was marred by both confusion and determination. "Boy. Dean." The name sounded like a hiss. "I still have your rifle. With your silver bullets."

"Goddammit," Dean said out-loud, defeated.

"We still want answers to our questions," Remus said softly, "but if you want some answers to _your_ questions, then you'd better come with us."

The light in Sam's eyes was painfully hopeful.

* * *

"So you're Wizards," Sam hazarded as they again entered the backyard.

Severus wordlessly entered the house, carrying his wand and the rifle, leaving Remus to explain: "Yes, Wizards. I suppose the reputation of our kind is legendary among Hunters."

"I haven't heard much about them," Sam admitted, looking curiously at Dean. "I mean, you. I mean, we've encountered witches and warlocks, the occasional demi-gods and such, but to know there's an actual society—"

"Your brother knows much about it, though," Remus said, raising an eyebrow at Dean.

Dean merely scowled. "I've met your kind before," he said, curtly, then to Sam, "You weren't there." And the way they avoided each other's gazes spoke of another rift. When another awkward silence descended, Dean sighed. "Look, we just want to find this thing and finish the job, then we'll be on our way."

"No," Sam objected. "Can't we learn all that we can?"

Remus shifted from one foot to another, feeling embarrassed. "We don't...I mean, we don't usually share..." He broke off, then said softly, "I'm sorry."

The look of disappointment in Sam's eyes made Remus want to cringe. Dean muttered, _"Told you so,"_ under his breath like a petulant child, and for all Remus' parental skills, he could not come up with an answer.

Finally, Severus emerged from the door, screen door slamming close behind him. He hurled the rifle to the bottom of the porch, then pointed. "The bag goes there. You'll carry only one weapon each."

It was unsurprising that Sam and Dean chose silver knives.

Remus had not visited Severus' workroom for almost a year now. The only potion Severus had ever brewed nowadays was the Wolfsbane Potion, but Remus found himself still surprised at how the small space had changed. He vaguely heard Dean and Sam talking in whispers as they entered the stockroom and Severus tapped his wand on the floor entrance. Their wide eyes belied their dread, only to have them gasping as they saw the large cauldron at one corner of the room, right beneath the exhaust pipe. It was clean but nearing corrosion, and stains at some pars showed the traces of work it bore.

Severus was staring at the wall resolutely.

Remus took his hand, realized that his husband's fist was clenched around his wand. "It's been a long time," he murmured.

Severus didn't meet his eyes, only turned away. Remus watched him, wishing he could ask questions that he had never asked before. _Were you lonely, while you sat here, making the potion? Did it make you want to go home to England?_ And he wanted to say, _Every month the moon rips me apart, I remember, and it hurts more than changing my skin._

He wondered about the other werewolves that these Hunters found. Remus did not delude himself, he knew they would cold-heartedly shoot him if he was in werewolf skin right now, but they obviously knew very little about werewolves. Most of their knowledge was probably borne out of other Hunters and their own observation of werewolves during the full moon. In this aspect, they were more observant of the _animal_ rather than the person behind them.

And, Remus realized with a chill, Severus used to be like that.

"What's up with this potion?" Sam interrupted his thoughts. "You do this every month, or something?"

"The Wolfsbane Potion is not an easy one to make," Severus told him sternly. "One needs special herbs from particular areas, gathered during a particular time—and time-ordered from exceptional apothecaries in England and Germany."

"We can get them here, right?" Sam asked hopefully.

Remus and Severus exchanged glances.

"Sam..." Remus sighed. "We've tried looking for alternatives, believe me. Severus was a Potions professor, and one of the leading researchers of Wolfsbane Potion, and so far, research says that Wolfsbane Potion is currently only helping particular European werewolves and only some of the American ones. The strain of magic is just too different here."

The way Sam's face crumpled was hard to swallow, and Dean reached out to touch his brother's elbow, as if to comfort him. "But there'll be other researches, right?" Sam went on. "I mean, you're still looking into it..."

"Not us, specifically," Remus told him gruffly, not meeting his eyes. "But Severus is... _we're_ trying. The magic in America is different, and...we are not allowed to experiment. Not anymore." The acknowledgment, the _finality_ of not practicing magic, hit Remus so suddenly that and he wondered why it hadn't come sooner, years before.

Sam's shoulders sagged. "You're really sure?" he asked dully. "There are ways—"

"Cool it, Sam," Dean interrupted, glaring at the jars of preserved herbs and the notes tacked on the wall. "Wizards, remember? They don't share."

"If we _could,_ what good would it give you?" Severus snapped. "The particularities of the Wolfsbane Potion prevent it from being mass-reproduced, and certainly not to be distributed here. The herbs we get are timed to a fault, and the only reason we have it is because of some privileges we—"

"Alright," Dean shouted, "we get it. You can't and it's impossible. _Sam,"_ he added sharply and Sam jerked awkwardly, staring at them with confusion. "They can't help us, we'll have to hunt for that werewolf tonight ourselves. Let's go." He turned, faltered when he realized Sam was still standing in the middle of the room.

"It's not that we don't want to," Remus said desperately.

"Don't make excuses, Remus," Severus put in harshly but Remus ignored him.

"After our war," he began, but realized he could never make them understand, because when did these Hunters have a war? Wizards and witches could pride themselves separated from Muggles, but Hunters had their own worlds where every day brought new fights. They were nothing like Aurors with their steady jobs and their government investigations. Hunters had laws of their own, and Remus could not make them understand the difficulty of putting theory and knowledge into brewing. Not even Severus could do it. He looked at Sam helplessly.

Sam only smiled back bleakly. "It's just," he said softly, "you know, I do this to help people. And if there was any way..." He stopped, gave a ragged breath.

"Sammy," Dean said quickly.

And Sam said, "I killed a werewolf a lot of times. We both did." Remus sucked in his breath and he could see, at the corner of his eyes, how Severus readied his wand once more, but the younger man only continued, "They were always mindless to me. It wasn't _real._ Until once, a few months ago...and she was..." He swallowed.

"Sammy," Dean implored again.

"I killed her." Sam's voice was soft, but it bounced through the walls like dark magic, an illicit confession. "I made my brother stay while I raised the gun to her head. And she begged me to...to do it." He paused again, swallowed. "I didn't believe her when she said it was the only way to save her. I didn't believe, but I still...I still did. I pulled the trigger."

"God," Remus said raggedly, feeling himself sagging. He had to grab a nearby table, feeling bile rise up his throat.

"I just want to protect people like her," Sam finished quietly.

When another pressing silence overcame them, Remus was only half-aware of Severus stepping in front of him, as if he was protecting him. He clutched his husband's arm, wanted to be sick but still trying to _breathe,_ and just feeling dirty and ungrateful and...god. He didn't know what he wanted.

He could vaguely hear Severus saying, "Leave. Please, both of you."

Dean murmured something, but Remus could not hear. He wanted to put his head on Severus' shoulder, but after Sam's words, remembering a pale, dark-haired boy in the Hospital wing, the hissed words, _"You're a monster,"_ and Remus couldn't touch him the way he wanted to. Not now.

When he finally looked up, he realized that he was still clutching Severus' arm and leaning against the table. Dean and Sam were nowhere to be found.

Severus looked down at him with unreadable eyes. "Remus," he said, and there was no way to describe that voice.

Remus struggled to right himself, forced himself not to lean forward and just press himself against Severus. It felt like Severus was pulling away as well. "We need to talk," he said.

* * *

Holsters had disappeared somewhere over the years so they had to put their wands on the counter in the kitchen, next to their drinks. Remus made a quick phone call to their office, apologizing for the late notice but he and Severus would be unable to come to school due to house problems. Remus' department was more sympathetic, offered to help, which was politely declined.

Severus' department asked a lot of questions, but only because Nida was a nosy girl who always wanted to learn everything about anything, and she was the department receptionist. When Remus finally put down the phone, he felt like he had run a marathon.

Severus watched him silently as he handed him a cup of tea. Remus almost snorted into the cup, remembering this morning and how it felt like a long time ago.

"We should be finished with the business of broken memories," he murmured.

He didn't expect Severus to answer, but he did. "What would we be, without them?" The voice was wry.

Remus looked up, surprised. "Surely..." But his voice trailed off and he cleared his throat.

"Remus," Severus said roughly.

"It's just, what are we here for?" Remus asked quietly. "Why are we still doing this, living and hiding? Teddy's almost ten and he still doesn't know..." With a jolt, he realized that it would almost be ten years since the Voldemort War has finished. Severus was glaring down at his mug of coffee. "Severus," he tried again, "why are we still _here?"_

"After ten years, you need to ask?" Severus asked harshly. "Have you already forgotten what Europe entailed? Running and hiding—"

"It's not any different here," Remus replied weakly. "Wherever we go, we're still outcasts."

"Are you telling me that England is better?" Severus asked incredulously. "For Teddy?'

For some reason, it annoyed Remus to hear the nickname in Severus' lips. "Don't tell me what you think is best for Teddy," he snapped back. "You hardly even make decisions about your son."

"He's not my son," Severus said too quickly.

Rems stared at him, horrified, too stunned to say anything. The look on his husband's eyes was equally stunned, and Severus quickly stood, grabbing his wand. "Severus..."

"He's _not,"_ Severus hissed, back turned to Remus as he dumped his tea into the sink. "We both know he's your son, and his abilities are Nymphadora's, so—"

"You _raised_ him," Remus said, hearing his voice crack. His fingers clenched on the counter and he hid them from Severus. "You've been there since he was one..."

"Not by choice at first, wasn't it?" Severus slammed his hands on the sink, glaring at the water rushing out of the faucet. "He's always been yours, and something that you and Nymphadora shared."

Remus wished he could stand up, could cross the room and just _touch_ him, but the pain was too great. "What Nymphadora and I had was...an unfortunate mistake." Severus gave a ragged breath but Remus continued, "I shouldn't have doubted you, all those years."

"No, it was designed that way," Severus started.

"Let me finish." _Oh, hell._ Remus stood and reached out to his husband, ignoring how the other flinched away from his touch. "After all these years, are you telling me that you actually listened to what Harry told you, about not having to apologize for your actions? Severus," and he forced the other man to turn towards him, "did you believe Harry when he said that we're not responsible for our actions, that it was _war?"_

He held his breath, wondered if years of lies and fronts would break down with these simple questions. He was about to say something else, when Severus reached out and touched his neck. "No," he said quietly. "I never believed him."

Remus let out a sigh of relief and leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together. "Good," he breathed, feeling himself choke. "That's good. It was all bullshit." He took another breath, fingers threading through his husband's dark hair. _This is forever,_ he thought. _And it has to work._ "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I always had one foot out the door, always looked for other options. I'm sorry you had to go through all that—Lily's death, the Headmaster's death, Draco—all that alone. I'm sorry for more than that, for everything that came before that..." Every admission had Severus pressing against him, closer, as if he needed the strength. "Severus, I'm sorry. I love you. Gods, if I could go back, I would..." And here he stopped, because no matter what, he had to remember that he and Nymphadora had been friends, that she had been a good companion who was also suffering from the death of her friends and family.

And they had Teddy, whom Remus loved fiercely. He could never be sorry about him, and it filled him with dread to think if Severus only ever saw Teddy as proof of Remus' weakness. He wondered how he could explain it to Severus.

But Severus interrupted him, his own hands drawing hesitantly around Remus. There was still a frown on his face, yet there was also exhaustion. "I know," he said wearily. "I understand. Remus. I understand."

They held each other desperately and Remus remembered a time, almost a decade ago, when they had first begun to connect once more. A time when they had stood in the middle of the bare kitchen, holding each other and desperately missing home, while Teddy wailed at the background.

It felt a little like that right now, that frantic need for each other in a foreign world that would never understand.

Remembering them, Remus thought it must've been ridiculous to think that war never fucked anyone up this badly.


	4. Part 3

Because Dean and Sam Winchester had interrupted them before they could check the border, Remus and Severus split up after lunch to assess each of the corners. What Remus saw disturbed him, and he found himself shivering, unable to wait until he could return to the house. Even then, he found himself stopping when he saw the sign of the marks that were not his.

He had to commend Dean; the signs showed that there was a rapid change from biped to four, until the claw marks gave way to a broken trail through broken shrubbery and disturbed soil and grass. There was a possible footprint or paw print, but loose rock had covered it, mangling it beyond description.

Severus was already waiting at the back porch, carefully shucking mud from his boot. He looked up when Remus approached.

"The borders collapsed," Remus told him without preamble.

But Severus only nodded, his eyes cloudy. "Yes, the rest of what I've seen did, as well."

Remus frowned, tried not to shiver. He needed a clear head to remember everything he had read more than a decade ago. "What do you know about American werewolves, Severus?" he asked.

Severus shot him a glance but looked away quickly. There was a faraway expression on his face. "Very little; I hardly paid any attention to them, really. The Wolfsbane Project attempted to do make a more distributable potion for this market, but very little studies came out, practically all of them failures. The strain was too muddled. The project was abandoned around the turn of the century."

"But the _werewolves,"_ Remus insisted. "Did you know that there are almost no written textbook about the differences between American and European werewolves?"

"What do the literatures say about the difference?" Severus snorted.

"Only that European werewolves tended to be more wolfish than their American counterpart," Remus replied. "I've always thought it's likely due to the strains of magic. European magic, along other cultures' magic, could have taken over some parts of this world, but America is still mostly controlled by the Native Americans. Who can say anything about other cultures dipping into the mix and creating another unique environment?"

"What does Salem Institute say about _that?"_ Severus sounded curious and amused at the same time. He always had a competitive rivalry with one of the witches in the Institute, mostly regarding magical theory. Remus knew it had been difficult for Severus to break their correspondence when they went to live as Muggles.

Remus sighed. "Honestly? I can't remember. There weren't a lot of books on the subject, but I haven't read each and every one of them. There have always been stories about werewolves and shapeshifters in any culture." He turned thoughtful. "The Hunters may have more solid information. They're the ones who horde the literatures regarding these, and they'd have more experience about them."

"They only ever hunt them," Severus replied flatly, fingers clenching over his knee. "They don't know anything about werewolf behavior prior or post the full moon."

"That boy," Remus remembered suddenly. "Samuel. Sam Winchester. He said he knew someone..."

Severus frowned. "Do you want to call them back here so soon, Remus?" he snapped back. "Anyway, the full moon crest is over and they're probably heading over to Kansas by now. Or over the mountains, wherever they're headed."

Remus swallowed, nodding. He was probably right, but it didn't douse that niggling feeling that he should be remembering something. "What do you make of the other claw marks?"

For a moment, Severus stared idly down at his wand, then turned to him. "Nothing much," he confessed. "Only the general observations you and those Hunter had." Remus waited or a moment as his husband's eyes unfocused, thinking. "They were strange, more human-like at first, turning to something that wasn't entirely claw-like. Not like your claws."

Remus nodded. "You probably got to the area of transformation." He didn't have to ask how disturbed the area was; the troubled look on Severus' eyes told him enough. He thought about Teddy, with his drawings on the fridge and his heart stickers on the walls, and he wondered how long they had before the creature made itself known. They would have to put wards and protective barriers around the house despite the ban against their use of magic.

He turned to Severus. "About Teddy..."

"It's almost time for you to pick him up." Severus pulled away to stand, brushing the dirt off his pants. "You have to pick up some groceries before you come home. I'll put up temporary reinforcements around the house."

"Right." Remus stared up at him, squinting against the pale afternoon sun. The faraway mountains peeked at the background of trees behind Severus' shoulder, but Severus was not looking at him; he looked like he was beyond reach. "I'll see you later."

Remus was almost inside the house when Severus suddenly whirled around and grabbed his wrist. "Remus." Fingernails dug into Remus' arm, urgent. Severus would not look at him. "There are very few people I would kill for, would die for. Theodore. You."

Remus touched his fingers, waiting until they let go. It felt a little like going away to war.

* * *

Or something close to it, at least.

Teddy was a bundle of energy when Remus picked him up. He jumped into Remus' arms, chattering excitedly how they played hide-and-seek and how he got the fastest time for finding his friends. When they got into the Ford, he shoved a bunch of papers to Remus.

Remus twisted to the backseat, making the appropriate sounds as he looked at the drawings. "These are beautiful," he told his son.

Teddy beamed and pointed. "This one is us. That's you and Sev'rus and me. You and Sev'rus are bigger and..." He stopped, then went on excitedly, "And there are _hearts_ around you. 'Cause you like each other. Our teacher says we should put things like that."

Remus gave out a loud laugh. "Your teacher's smart, but you should put hearts around you, too."

Suddenly, Teddy's gaze dropped to the paper. "Maybe." His short fingers traced the little lines made to form a scowling man. "D'you think Father...Severus would mind?"

"No, he wouldn't," Remus said quickly, seriously. "Why would he?"

But Teddy shook his head, leaning back on the seat while a troubled expression flitted on his young face. "S'nothing," he mumbled.

Remus reached out to touch his face. He had to make sure that Teddy understood something, even if Remus had to drill it into him. "Your father loves you, Teddy," he said softly. "Very much. He's just worried that..." He stopped, suddenly understanding.

"Yeah?" Teddy prompted hopefully.

"He's just worried that you don't like him," Remus finished, blinking at the revelation. _Oh, Severus._

"But _I do,"_ Teddy protested loudly. Then, the troubled expression growing, he asked in trepidation, "Do I have to tell him?"

And Remus laughed out loud, seeing a very Severus-like look stare back at him. _How did you two get to become like this when you two can be so alike?_ he wondered, chuckling. "It's part of the deal, you know. So he'll know it from you."

"Hmph." Teddy scowled. "I don't like those mushy stuff," he declared.

"Well," Remus said cheerfully, putting the drawings on the dashboard and making sure that his son was safely tucked with a seatbelt, "you'll have to live with it, little man. Your Father hates those stuff too, but I think he'll like it if he hears things like that from you."

Teddy fell silent while Remus shifted the gears and pulled the truck out of the parking lot, out into the streets and into the highway. The peace stayed for a while, truck comfortably running over gravel being the only sound.

Then, from the backseat, Teddy piped up, "Maybe I'll show him my drawings."

Remus checked the rearview mirror. Teddy was staring out the window with his arms crossed. It looked very much like Severus' stance, and it warmed Remus' heart. "That would be great."

"And I'll...maybe I'll put some little mushy hearts between him and me. Just a little, though."

Remus nodded. "That's a good start."

"Yeah." Again, Teddy fell silent, then he went on quietly, "And maybe I'll tell him. That I like shoelaces. Because every morning, he ties one shoe, then lets me tie the other. I like that."

The lump in Remus' throat was suddenly there and he hunched forward, focused on driving. Yes, Teddy was definitely Severus' son. "I'm sure he'd like to hear that," Remus told him honestly.

* * *

When they arrived, Teddy tentatively showed the drawings to Severus, who looked at them carefully and putting them up to the refrigerator without a word.

Remus watched everything from the corner of his eyes as he busied himself with putting away their stuff and grabbing the laundry. When Severus returned to making dinner, he almost sighed at the disappointed look on Teddy's face. "Hey," he said. "Help me fold some of these stuff." He waited for his son to protest; he'd always thought laundry-folding was boring. But this time, he only sat down on the couch and helped. Remus paused. "You okay?"

Teddy put on a wobbly smile and he nodded. "Yeah, Dad, I..." He glanced at the older man, then shrugged. "It's nothing." Remus sighed. "Teddy. Your father loves you." He wanted to make an excuse, but it would be worse, telling Teddy things that he should be expecting from Severus, not Remus.

But Teddy only bunched a pair of sock together and nodded. "Yeah." His eyes strayed outside, towards the backdoor. "Can I play outside?"

"Yeah, uh, no, not right now," Remus told him. "Your father and I worked on some things today outside and there are still some dangerous things lying around." When Teddy only nodded, Remus grasped his shoulders. "Hey, why don't you go upstairs and...draw some more stuff?"

"I dunno, Dad, maybe I'll just watch TV," Teddy said, not meeting his eyes.

Remus nodded, knowing the disappointment must be overwhelming. "Okay. We'll call you when dinner's ready." As Teddy trudged up to his room, Remus called again, "And do your homework first!"

"O _kay_ , Dad," Teddy yelled back.

When he finished with the laundry, he put it back to the closet and went to the kitchen where Severus was finishing up with his cooking. "Severus," he said.

Severus looked over to him, stopped at his expression. "What?" he growled.

Remus wanted to rail, to shout, maybe cry. The entire day had been exhausting and his nerves were jangling, wondering if they could still protect their son, but Severus didn't even seem to try mending things with Teddy, even after his earlier confession. "What the hell was that?" he asked instead. "Teddy showed you his drawing and you don't say anything?"

"What would you have me say?" Severus hissed.

"How much you liked it!" Remus said. "Even if you didn't..."

"You know I liked—"

"Then _tell him,"_ Remus almost shouted, not caring that Severus flinched. "How much of an idiot will you continue to act? You say you protect him, then you rebuff him in the same breath. And you, of all people, know that children will always weigh the misdeeds more than they ever would." It was a low blow, but he did not care even when Severus cringed again.

"I'm _trying,_ Remus," Severus told him in a low voice.

Remus slammed some of the plates together, ringing sound echoing in the kitchen. "Not hard enough," he muttered.

"This is not the time for hysterics," Severus told him. "The borders are down and putting it up will require the use of harder magic. We can't do it ourselves."

Remus forced himself to stop yelling about their son and nodded tightly. They did have to focus on this particular part. "You're right." He sighed. "I'll do an emergency Floo call. You sit with Teddy for a while."

"I'll—" Severus started, but Remus interrupted, "Would you rather be the one talking to Harry? Go ahead, I won't say a word." He crossed his arms defiantly, meeting Severus' scowl before sighing. "Enough drama, Severus. We've been together for years. Just talk to your son. I'll talk to Harry."

When Severus disappeared upstairs, Remus finally pulled out the loose brick from the fireplace. The cold from the mountains had always been present and Remus never thought he'd be using this fireplace other than a heating system after a long time. The Floo powder brushed against his fingers, making him sneeze when he flung it to the ashes. "Grimmauld Place, London, England," he said, to ascertain the distance.

It took some time, and Remus was perversely amused to find himself thinking how similar it might be to a telephone's endless ringing. Then, finally, Harry's face appeared before the flames, sleepy. "R-remus?" he croaked. "Good to see you, old man."

"Hello, Harry. How've you been?"

"Fine, everything's been good. Draco's being an ass and tried to reupholster the entire foyer before I pulled some damage control." Harry yawned, then grinned. "Sorry. We were just getting ready for bed. What's up?"

Quickly, because there was no time, Remus explained the problem to him. Harry's expression grew puzzled, then concerned until he finished the story. For a moment, Harry was silent until he asked, "Have you seen this other creature?"

"No," Remus replied shortly. "But we saw the claw marks."

"I honestly don't know much about American werewolves, it was never covered in the Auror program," Harry confessed apologetically. "But I know that Shapeshifters are common around the world. Think it could be that?"

"Actually..." Remus cleared his throat. "We met a couple of Hunters."

"Yeah, what do they hunt? Cougars?"

Remus paused. "No, Harry. _Hunters._ Daredevil ruffians? Suicidal machines? Against demons, vampires, among other things?"

"SHITE, you're kidding!" Harry gaped at him, then whooped. "You're not kidding!" He paused, looked behind him. _"Hey, Draco! Remus met_ Hunters. _Yeah, those Hunters from the States. Wicked!"_ He turned back, and Remus was amused to see how the flame played with the excitement in his eyes. "Are they cool?"

"They're...different." Remus took a deep breath. "Sam and Dean Winchesters."

Harry paused. "Oh." He blinked. "Oh, that's not good. I've heard about them."

"About what?"

"Pretty messed up reports, actually. Not enough information, but enough to know that the Aurors either think they're legendarily good or just plain crazy. The clan was very much wiped out but there were rumors of survivors..." Harry shook his head. "Listen, I'll dig around, but those Hunters don't know anything about making borders. They just know wards, and mostly only from their experience. They're experts against Demons but all they know is how to kill." He peered into the fire. "Remus, you have to remember, their first instinct is _not_ to protect."

Remus nodded, although in his mind he was hearing how Sam Winchester's voice choked when told him about the female werewolf. He remembered how Dean Winchester stood in front of his brother, as if taking all the brunt of words while he held Sam's wrist.

Clearly, the Aurors knew next to nothing about these Winchesters at all.

He said, "I'll remember."

"'Kay, I'll make some calls to Hermione and Ron. Do you have work in the morning? We can make some arrangements. What time is it there, anyway?"

When they finished arranging a meeting for the next day, Remus said his goodbyes and gave his regards to Harry's husband, then to Hermione and Ron, whom he'll likely speak with soon anyway. The fire-call ended when Severus and Teddy came down to join him.

Severus glanced at Remus, raised his eyebrow. Remus gave a little nod and Severus looked away. He turned to Teddy. "Hey, little man. What have you and your father been doing upstairs?"

Teddy grinned. "He was teaching me how to make a _potion."_

Remus' stomach roiled and he gaped at them both.

"Using the chemistry set," Severus told him, voice sounded amused.

 _Oh, that man is going to pay later,_ Remus thought, chuckling. "I hope you're not going to blow up your room anytime soon, Ted."

"I'm not," Teddy said cheerfully. "D'you think we can make something that'll help cars fly? Or make someone nicer?" he asked Severus.

In his mind, Remus could see a flying Angola and half-hearted Potions lessons, sitting in a dank classroom and watching a Slytherin boy sit in front as he struggled to make an Amortentia potion for Slughorn. It still felt like another life, but closer now, especially after talking to Harry. Maybe there was hope in bringing these two worlds together, he mused. Harry had fought to change the European world after the Voldemort War. Why couldn't things be changed here in America by speaking about magic and talking to Hunters?

* * *

They had just finished dinner when a knock on the door came.

Severus went to answer, muffled voices coming from the living room while Remus and Teddy finished stacking the dirty plates on the sink. When he could hear the voices becoming louder, Remus straightened, tried to listen.

"...somewhere by now," came Severus' voice.

Remus peered into the living room and gaped. Before Severus stood the Winchester brothers, Sam looking apologetic and Dean bearing none of the expressions his brother was carrying. "What are you still doing here?" he blurted out.

"Dad? Sev'rus?" Teddy peaked from behind him. "Who're these?"

"Theodore," Severus said sharply, "go to your room."

Teddy stared at the two men steadily, as if trying to place them. Sam gave an awkward wave. Dean gave him a big grin and said, "Hey there."

"Hey," Teddy replied, big-eyed as he stared back at Dean.

"Theodore. What did I say?" Severus interrupted with a glare at the brothers.

"But," Teddy protested, only Remus laid a hand on his shoulder and drew him aside, whispering for him to finish his homework upstairs. Their son gave them one last curious look before doing as he was told.

"Look," Sam said when Teddy was safely out of earshot, "we thought about the Wolfsbane Potion and we thought...well, we wanted to see it for ourselves."

Remus stared at them in confusion. "I don't understand what you mean," he told them hesitantly. Beside him, Severus was frowning.

"Your transformation," Sam replied, blinking. He and Dean exchanged glances. "You're a werewolf, right? We want to see how this potion works."

"Yeah, we got the big weapons and everything." Dean gestured outside where the Impala was parked.

"Transformation?" Remus echoed. "I won't be transforming tonight."

It was the brothers' turn to be confused. "Why the hell not?" Dean asked wretchedly. "I mean, you're a werewolf and everything! ...Aren't you?"

"Yes!"

"Werewolves only change during the peak of the full moon," Severus intoned, glance going from one man to another. "That was yesterday."

"Nooo-o, werewolves transform when the moon reaches a particular apex," Dean said, eyes narrowing. "And they usually transform for two or three days before and after the full moon's peak." When no one said anything, his tone grew angry: "What, they didn't teach this in Wizarding 101?"

"Are you sure you're even a werewolf?!" Sam asked disbelievingly.

"You Hunters practically horde the information regarding American werewolves," Severus snapped, although he looked slightly ill. "The mechanics are somewhat different for European werewolves."

"You transform only once a month _and_ you have a potion to keep your mind," Dean burst out angrily. "And you think you're _unfortunate?_ What else have you been keeping from us?"

"What else have _you?"_ Severus shot back.

"Stop it," Remus gritted out, ignoring how Dean and Severus glared at each other. "What else do we need to know about werewolves? How are they transformed?"

"Big, nasty teeth," Dean offered.

"Turned by a bite," Sam suggested.

"A werewolf's transformation is highly affected by the situation of the moon," Severus remembered. "Yet the particularities of transformation are determined by the surrounding elemental magic as well as the biological strains that led to their evolution."

"What the hell!" Dean shouted. "Where did all that come from?"

 _"Howling at the Moon,_ chapter three," Remus and Severus said together, already whipping out their wands.

Dean threw up his hands in disgust. "Well, don't let me stop your higher level of learning!" he sniffed.

"I don't understand," Sam said, confused. "So you're saying you were expecting something...just...not a werewolf?" He paused in disbelief as Remus shook his head and swished his wand to check the house protection. Sam's eyes narrowed. "But everything was pointing towards it. The claw marks. The disturbance. The _full moon."_

Severus was already by the window, looking out. "If you looked closely enough, you'll notice there are _two_ marks. One of them is Remus'. The other is unidentifiable."

"The other is a _werewolf's,"_ Dean groaned. "Let me out, I need to get a few things from the car."

Sam followed him out, still shaking his head. Severus and Remus watched them from the porch, watching how they bowed their heads together to keep conversation to themselves.

"What do you think?" Severus asked quietly.

"I think this stupid secrecy between Hunters and Wizards have gone long enough," Remus snapped, and was immediately sorry. He was still angry at himself for not knowing about American werewolves. "I really don't know. We have practically no information about how this werewolf might operate. We don't even know if it's still here...it might have moved out earlier."

"Creatures of habit," Severus reminded him. "You returned to the Shrieking Shack every sunrise for survival."

"How do we know that this werewolf follows the same pattern?" Remus burst out. "How do we know that it's not social?"

"Social?" Severus paused for a moment to stare at him. "You're thinking about it being _cultural?"_

"What else can it be?" Remus hissed back. "What else can affect werewolf behavior other than biological and cultural—"

 _Magic._ The unsaid word brought the rest of the sentence into a screeching halt and, for a moment, they merely stared at each other in shock.

"Hey," Dean called, rifle in his hands, "we'll go around back—wha...?" He gaped as Remus and Severus almost fell over each other in their rush to get upstairs.

In Teddy's room, a window was open.

Teddy wasn't there.

* * *

Remus knew he was going too fast, but he was glad that Sam wasn't complaining. The adrenaline and worry were churning inside him, making him ignore the twigs that kept slamming into his face.

"Hold on," Sam said, not even out of breath. "Magic? How the hell did you even get to that conclusion?"

"It's a basic principle in elemental theory," Remus replied, his voice clipped. He knew he had to talk to gain Sam's trust, but his little boy was out there, in a form he probably couldn't control...His knees were shaking and he could barely feel the base of his wand with the tightness of his grip. He wished Severus was here, but they had split up and he had gone with Dean, in an effort to keep the man from using the shotgun. Sam, however, had also brought a silver knife and a gun loaded with silver bullets, although he looked apologetic as he showed it to Remus. Refusing to think about the lengths they would have to go to save Teddy, Remus took a deep breath and explained, "Biology and culture will always affect someone's life-experience, but for Wizards and Witches, magic plays an equally important role."

"Geography can affect magic use?" Sam sounded doubtful.

There was a sound at their left and Remus paused, but there was nothing. They continued on, listening for every sound, as Remus affirmed, "Land magic can be very strong. I noticed the woods have changed when I was a wolf last night. It's different from last month's and it shows that the conflict between our private protection spells and the innate elemental protection have changed, probably broken by Teddy's transformation."

"But how can it affect werewolf biology?" Sam persisted. _Oh gods, please shut up,_ Remus begged in his mind, wishing he could just stun this man and leave him. He gritted his teeth and pushed another branch away, keeping aware of his surroundings. "Remus, I know enough of science to now that whatever you are should at least genetically be passed down to your son."

"He's a werewolf, if you didn't notice," Remus snapped. "How much more genetic would you rather it be?"

Sam paused at Remus' outburst and, with a burst of energy, Remus turned to leave him. A few moments later, the other man was trailing him again.

Then, the Hunter said softly, "I'm sorry, I know it's hard—"

"Don't," Remus interrupted, and in his mind he could remember this boy telling him about the werewolf he had killed, the werewolf he had come to care about. There was a lump in his throat again and he refused to entertain the possibility of doing the same to Teddy. **_No._** "Just...Teddy identifies with this land now, so he'll be affected by this land's magic, making him more American than European. I'm too old, too set in my ways," Remus spat out. _What I would give to understand him and **know.**_

They spent the next few minutes walking in silence, until Sam said, "We'll save him, Remus—"

A shot rang out.

They both raised their heads instinctively, then Remus had no inkling of what came next. He was only running to the sound, heart pounding against his ears, not caring if he was leaving Sam stumbling behind. All he could think about was his son and how he should be okay when Dean's voice echoed through the trees: _"SAMMY!"_

"Dean!" Sam yelled back. "We're coming!"

"Teddy!" Remus screamed, running his head through the number of spells he had learned and used—was it only a decade ago? He pushed the stray thoughts out, because all he cared for was saving his son. _"TEDDY!"_

"Remus!" came Severus' voice.

Remus burst through the trees and almost crashed into Severus' form, was glad he didn't because Severus was holding his wand in front of him.

Teddy...it _was_ Teddy...froze momentarily when he saw Remus' face, then turned again to them. He still had Teddy's form, and he looked like a cross between an ugly wolf and a human, nothing like Remus' werewolf form that looked like a very large wolf. And with that brief glance illuminated by the pale moonlight and shadowed by the trees, the form darted through the trees.

"Teddy!" Remus shouted again, giving chase.

Behind him, he could hear Sam shouting, "What the hell happened?!" and Dean answering, "Fuck if I know!"

The noise was gone, leaving the four of them together. Remus whirled around, whipping his wand towards Dean's face. "You shot my son—" he began.

"He didn't," Severus interrupted sharply. "He shot the air."

"I figured I'd take the chance, see if he'll stop running," Dean panted, looking pained, "so maybe give you time to pull some of that Wizard shit you told us 'bout."

"It's my fault," Severus acknowledged grudgingly. "I saw Theodore. I froze." There was shame in his voice but Remus still couldn't get the anger out of system enough to care. He wanted Teddy back at home, safe and asleep, not running around in a form he likely couldn't understand.

"If you can just stun him," Sam said, "then we can wait it out until sunrise until he changes." His voice only wavered once, but the suggestion was there: _Silver bullet or nothing else._

"But werewolf abilities," Dean reminded, already recovering. "We can't get close enough to stun him, and only a silver bullet will—" He paused with a barely audible, _"Fuck, sorry."_

"We use spells," Severus bit out. "Latin spells. It's acceptable with the corroded magic here. It might not be as strong but...it'll work." He said it with a resolve that made Remus glance at him.

"But how do we make him come back to _us?"_ Remus ground out.

"You can't," Dean said. "But werewolves...American werewolves, that is, have some natural instinct for the familiar."

Remus thought: _Prongs, Padfoot_ (and, guiltily, _Wormtail_ ), remembered recognizing Severus' scent that time in Hogwarts long ago, and nodded. He muttered, "With me, too." He looked around. "Maybe we should... _Teddy!"_ he shouted.

"Yeah, that could work," Dean muttered under his breath.

Remus looked around, saw Severus pointing his wand readily. He ran through his list of stunning spells as well as some other healing spells just in case. His stomach turned at the thought of his son injured. "Teddy, Daddy's here," he called out again. "We're not mad, just...just come home."

Dean began to lower his gun to the ground and brought out his knife. He met his brother's eyes and they nodded, so that Sam tucked his gun back to its holster and pulled out his hunting knife, ready.

"Teddy," Remus called out.

"Theodore!" Severus shouted.

Somewhere near them, a rustle.

"We're not here to hurt you, Teddy," Sam continued. "Your parents miss you and they understand."

Silence, then—

Snarling, something rushed towards them. Severus whirled: _"Stupefy!"_ but the figure was too fast and the spell slammed into a tree and ricocheted into the sky.

"Teddy!" Remus gasped, running to them..

In a split second, the bullet-like creature collided into Sam and hurled him to the air, his flight only stopping when he smashed into a tree.

"Sammy!" Dean yelled, knife drawn.

"No!" Without thinking twice, Remus pointed to the hand. _"Expelliarmus!"_

The knife flew out of Dean's hand, but Dean only gave it a half-moment's notice before he barreled into the figure.

Teddy's small figure gave a roar that was more like a wail as it fought to push Dean off.

"Teddy, no!" Dean shouted, then screamed when claws striped through his chest, effectively shoving him away.

Severus was instantly at their side not even sparing a glance at Dean. Something cold and deep was in his eyes, but Remus could see how he was breathing hard, harder than before. The scene was replaced with _The Shrieking Shack, James voice, Severus screaming, a tunnel, snarling, claws and blood,_ and he couldn't help but shout: "Severus!"

Teddy snarled, lunging towards Severus.

 _"Stupefy,"_ Severus bellowed and the blast finally slammed squarely to Teddy's chest, effectively throwing him back where he hit a tree.

Remus almost slipped on the damp grass as he snatched Severus up, not even giving him time to breathe, and slid next to the small, still form. "Teddy," he breathed, _"Teddy!"_

Severus gripped his shoulder hard, but he touched a hairy shoulder, still pointing a wand towards him. Remus could feel the touch, yet it felt distanced as all his attention was focused on the small thing beneath his hands.

It had Teddy's form although he was slightly bigger. Fur matted all over his body like a half-transformed human, a form that Remus had only seen in old picture books. Torn blue pajamas still hung all over his body in the barest attempt to cover. They must have ripped during the transformation.

Remus could feel tears clouding his eyes; he quickly wiped them away. This was not a time for sentiments. "Oh god, Teddy," he choked. "I should've known." He wondered if the transformation had been painful, like it had been for him. If Teddy had been aware.

He did not notice he was smoothing the fur until he felt Severus touch his hand to soothe him, eased Teddy into his arms. The boy werewolf looked reduced in his arms somehow, despite the extra muscles and fur. "He'll be okay," Severus murmured. "Let's bring him home."

Remus swallowed, forced himself to think rationally. He knew he should protest; they still didn't know how long the spell would work, especially on unfamiliar ground, but he supposed parents were allowed to be careless, when it came to the safety of their child.

At the corner of his eyes, he could see Sam help his brother up, furiously swearing as he surveyed the damage. Dean muttered back, _"No problem, I'm fine,"_ even as he leaned on him heavily.

Remus took a deep breath. "It really is Teddy," he said tightly. "Let's go back." And he put his hand on Severus' back, one hand on resting on Teddy's knee, to assure himself he was fine.

Severus didn't let go.

* * *

Remus forbade any ropes, pointing out that if Teddy woke up, he would still be able to pull out again, anyway. Instead, they brought the snoring figure curled on the couch.

"If he wakes up, you'll just do that Wizard thing again?" Dean asked, wheezing.

Severus' eyebrows met as he thought about it, then gestured for Sam to follow him outside, to the stockroom. Remus grabbed the first-aid kit from the bathroom and cleaned as best as he could. When Dean's face turned paler at his ministrations, Remus finally grabbed his wand and pointed.

"Fuck," Dean swore, struggling to sit up but Remus pushed him back down.

"I won't hurt you," he promised. Of all the charms and hexes he could remember, it was the healing spells that he could remember best. He pushed the memories of his friends and his own wounds at the back of his mind; now was not the time for reminiscing. Instead, he concentrated on sewing Dean's chest again, trying to leave minimal scarring.

Dean shoved a hand in his mouth and bit hard. Remus shoved a pillow towards him. "You can scream, if it helps," he told him.

"No fucking thanks," the Hunter rasped back. "Where... _that hurts, OW..._ where's Sam?"

"With Severus." Remus cast another look at his son; his eyelids were twitching. In a few minutes, he knew Teddy would wake and they would be forced to stupefy him once more.

Dean seemed to know what he was thinking. "As long as he won't get hurt, right?" he muttered.

"Yes," Remus replied tightly, and apologized when another suture had Dean muffling curses behind his mouth.

Severus crashed inside a few moments later, bringing a goblet and an exhausted Sam in tow. "When Teddy is half-conscious, we have to make him drink this," he said firmly, gesturing. "If we do it now, he'll just choke, but we have to be careful when he's awake."

"What'll it do?" Remus asked sharply.

"Make him fall asleep till sunrise." Severus sighed. "For several hours, at least, and we can wait it out until he changes back." He glanced at Dean, who was still bleeding on the floor, surrounded with cushions. The claw marks were smaller now and there was still blood, but Sam had dropped to his knees next to him and was now cleaning up the rest while Dean complained. Remus had done all that he could.

They were tense and prepared when Teddy woke, but Remus was quick to move, bringing the liquid to his son's lips and tipping it gently. Teddy fought marginally, but fell right back asleep, rumbling as a wolf would. A few minutes later when he wouldn't twitch, Dean and Sam eased their hold on their knives and Severus again pocketed his wand.

"The Wolfsbane Potion isn't going to help him, isn't it?" Remus asked out-loud.

Dean and Sam froze, staring at them.

Severus gazed at the boy stoically before answering, "It likely won't. But," he quickly added, "it doesn't mean we won't try." He said it fiercely.

Remus nodded, his hold on the goblet tightening, but with the crisis averted, he turned to Dean and Sam. "How are you feeling?" he asked Dean.

Dean nodded, but he still looked dizzy and Sam's hold on his brother's torso tightened. "Fine," he grated out. "Having the time of my life."

"Sure you are," Sam said, but there was rough fondness in his voice. He looked up at Remus and, for the first time, he realized that he wasn't the only one affected by the turn of events.

A long time ago, before Teddy and before Severus, before this happened, he would have tried to apologize, would have asked for a way to help make things right. Yet now, finally, he knew that there were really some things that were out of his control, and no apology could change that. Instead, he said, "Thank you for your help. Feel free to sleep—there's a bed upstairs..."

"No," Dean said firmly before Sam could answer for them. "We'll stay here. We'll see this through to the end." _Unlike last time,_ were the unspoken words in his voice. It was mirrored in his brother's eyes.

So they were there when dawn came and the transformation passed Teddy quickly and, seemingly, painlessly, until the boy opened his eyes, saw all of them stare down at him.

"Teddy," Remus choked, but Severus was closer, and Teddy hurled himself to him even though he visibly cringed.

"I'm sorry," the boy sobbed, "I couldn't control it, I couldn't, I'm sorry, please don't hate me, please, Daddy, Father, please—"

"Shush," Severus said, holding the boy tightly in his arms, drawing Remus closer so they could embrace him together. "Everything is fine. You're safe." And softer, he added, "For you, there is nothing I can never forgive."

Remus ignored the choked gasps from Dean and Sam, could only feel love for his family as the sunrise peered through the window, illuminating Teddy's turquoise-blue hair.


	5. epilogue

It was noon and lunch was ready, except Teddy was passed out on the couch where his parents could keep on eye on him from the kitchen. Sam, ever the expert on this kind of genetics, said it wasn't the transformation affecting him; it was likely due to the trauma of discovering _what_ he was.

Remus didn't agree, recalling the morning after the full moon when Severus gives him his tea with restorative potion, but he reluctantly trailed a hand through his son's colorful hair and pulled away.

In the kitchen, the four sat on the table, papers, notes and books laid bare before them. Lunch consisting of simple sandwiches were pushed to one side, some half-eaten, others leaving only trails of crumbs. Sam was sitting on a chair, trying to look nonchalant as his brother unconsciously leaned over him, still trying to take control over his breathing. Remus and Severus were hunched over a leather-bound journal filled with loose leaves, newspaper clippings, and pages of observations.

"It's our father's journal," Sam said, voice hushed. "He keeps...he _kept_ records of things he Hunted, which he sometimes cross-references with other people's work." _Winchesters,_ Harry had said with some kind of awe. Hunters so different from Aurors, and _these_ Hunters likely paved their own way to make themselves known at such a young age.

 _"Werewolves,"_ Severus read the scrawling script out-loud, _"is another classification of a shape-changer, controlled by the full moon. Werewolves kill by taking the heart out of the intended victim..."_ And here he stopped, shoving the journal away, then drew it back as if he couldn't be parted with it, and he skimmed the next few parts.

"Can something help?" Sam asked hopefully.

Remus reached for Severus' hands, gripping them tightly as he kept his head bowed over the journal. "I do not know," Severus said quietly. "From the looks of this, urban legend has become the main concern of this country, rather than dealing with educating those who may have knowledge. It will be difficult to gather strains for testing." He glanced up. "Not to mention that it is likely your lot would hunt them."

"You mentioned schools," Sam insisted. "You can try for that, tell them you want to do something about it."

"It's not that simple," Remus put in, then hesitated, but it was clear he needed to explain. "There was a war, a Wizarding war that began during the times of our parents and only ended ten years ago. I don't like it, but we're too high-profiled, too _known._ We aren't...we're not here to change the world. We're here to hide."

"Yeah, looks like you're pretty good at hiding there, _Lupin,"_ Dean said, giving him a grin that showed he didn't mean it.

But Remus shook his. "It nearly destroyed us. My wife died protecting me, putting me in charge of our new son. Severus nearly gave up his life to change the world for a new generation that never appreciated his help." _And even before that, we gave up too much of ourselves without letting us live for ourselves,_ he added silently, but he knew Severus thought it as well.

"But wouldn't you rather—" Sam started, stopped when he saw Remus shake his head again.

"Perhaps we could," Severus said finally. "Perhaps we will change our mind."

"Oh, you will," Dean said suddenly. His voice was strangely hitched, changed, as he sat up to stare at the journal. "You'll go through different lengths to keep your son safe, whatever you two say. You'll make decisions that'll affect him, but you'll do it for him, no matter the costs you have to pay."

He sounded so sure that Remus found himself having to look away, only to see Sam staring at his brother with heavy sadness in his eyes.

But Dean seemed to have caught on, because he looked away quickly, his fingers absently tracing his chest where the bandages still wrapped his skin under the shirt. "And maybe he won't appreciate the sacrifice, but it's all you can give to him," he went on roughly. "You won't even be sorry."

"Perhaps," Severus said thickly. It was his turn to squeeze Remus' fingers tightly.

"I'd like to think so," Remus agreed.

"Daddy?" Teddy's voice floated from the kitchen doorway. "Father? I'm hungry. Is that lunch?"

The papers and books were cleared immediately, shoved to one side of the room. Severus brought out new sandwiches for their son while Dean amused Teddy of stories about Led Zeppelin and Metallica, making Teddy's hair turn purple, then red with almost reverence. Later, it was their turn to laugh when Teddy's nose lengthened to become a duck beak, and Dean almost fell out of his chair and knocking Sam aside in his surprise.

He watched the way Sam laughed at his brother's shocked face, but also saw the way he carefully eased Dean back to the chair, wincing at the opened stitches on his chest. He watched how Dean grumbled in response, tried to push him aside, and saw how he could never fully push Sam away. He watched as Severus patiently cut the large sandwich to a manageable size for Teddy, saw how Teddy accepted it with an almost thoughtless gesture except for the bright smile he gave Severus. He watched Teddy offer the sandwich to Remus, saw how easily the child held out an uncertain hand, waiting for Remus to accept.

Remus took the sandwich from Teddy with a smile of thanks, and leaned carefully on the rest of his chair. "Hey, Dean, Sam," he said, smiling, "you might want to stay here a couple of days to rest. We have some interesting books we might want to share with you if you let us read more of your father's journal."

Sam's eyes lit quickly, exclaiming, "Sure!"

"Now wait," Dean protested, "I don't want to sit around reading!"

Remus met Severus' eyes over their heads, finally felt peace. "Then," he said casually, "I'll have to introduce you to an interesting friend of mine. His name is Harry Potter."

Perhaps the future wouldn't be easy, Remus thought. But decisions weren't always meant to be made immediately; taking time was a luxury they had now.

And Remus thought he already knew where they were headed, anyway.


End file.
